Conventional consumer electronics have a short life cycle. Consumers purchase consumer electronics that utilize cutting edge technology only to find that their electronics are outdated in the near future. The consumer electronics are then thrown away and replaced with the latest version of the electronics and the life cycle of the electronics repeats.
Typically, the hardware components included in the consumer electronics that are considered “outdated” are still useable. However, the hardware components can no longer be re-used since consumer electronics are designed as closed systems. From a consumer prospective, the life cycle of conventional consumer electronics is expensive and wasteful.